SUMKA

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"Sumka" redirects here. For tributary of Volga, see Sumka River.
National Socialist Workers Party
Abbreviation SUMKA
Leader Davud Monshizadeh
Spokesperson Shapour Zandnia
Founded April 1952 (1952-04)[1]
Headquarters "Black House"
Khaneqah St.
Tehran[1]
Membership (1952) 600[1]
Ideology
Political position Far-right[1]
Party flag
Official Logo of the disbanded SUMKA party.

Iran's National Socialist Workers Party[1] (Persian: حزب سوسیالیست ملی کارگران ایران‎, translit. Ḥezb-e Sosīālīst-e Mellī-e Kārgarān-e Īrān‎), more known by its abbreviation SUMKA (Persian: سومکا‎‎), was a neo-Nazi[3] party in Iran.

Foundation[edit]

The group was formed in 1952 by Davud Monshizadeh.[4] Despite building up a minor support base in Iranian universities,[citation needed] the party did not last long. It has been claimed that the party enjoyed funding directly from Reza Pahlavi and some Georgian-Iranians for a time.[5] The official logo is the Simorq flag. The emblem is the Simorq bird which was taken from the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) at the centre.[citation needed]

Development[edit]

The group briefly attracted the support of young nationalists in Iran, with Daryoush Homayoun, who would later rise to prominence, an early member.[5] Monshizadeh was known as something of a Hitler worshipper and was fond of the appearance and practices of the Nazi Party, such as their militarism and salute; as well as, attempting to approximate Hitler's physical appearance.[5] On this basis the group adopted the swastika and black shirt as part of their uniforms.[5][6]

They were firmly opposed to the rule of Mohammed Mossadegh during their brief period of influence and the group worked alongside Fazlollah Zahedi in his opposition to Mossadegh. Indeed, in 1953 they were part of a large crowd of Zahedi supporters who marched to the palace of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi demanding the ousting of Mossadegh.[7] The party would become associated with street violence against the supporters of Mossadegh and the Tudeh Party.[1]

Shock troops[edit]

The party had an "assault group" (guruhe hamle), with an estimated size of 100 members that openly attacked Tudeh Party of Iran. Soviet Cultural Center and Hungarian Trade Office in Tehran. Colonel Fateh, a retired Air Force officer was responsible for training of the unit.[1]

Financial sources[edit]

Colonel Fateh was the official patron of the party.[1] After 1953 Iranian coup d'état, the party received a monthly stipend of 2,500 rials from the police and other security authorities. In 1958, the party's leader received 7,000$ from SAVAK to go to the United States.[1] The party was also possibly financed by the foreign embassies based in Iran. In April 1952 Iranian police reported that Monshizadeh was seeking to establish ties to the British embassy to get financial support. It was allegedly funded by the Central Intelligence Agency through TPBEDAMN.[1]

Legacy[edit]

Advocates of Nazism continue to exist in Iran and are active mainly on the internet.[8] As of 2010, they are reported to be a small yet slowly increasing minority of Iranian youths.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rahnema, Ali. Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran: Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks. Cambridge University Press. pp. 54–57. ISBN 1107076064. 
  2. ^ a b Bashiriyeh, Hossein. The State and Revolution in Iran (RLE Iran D). Taylor & Francis. p. 14. ISBN 9781136820892. 
  3. ^ Dabashi, Hamid (2015). Persophilia: Persian Culture on the Global Scene. Harvard University Press. p. 106. ISBN 9780674504691. 
  4. ^ Leonard Binder, Iran: Political Development in a Changing Society, University of California Press, 1962, p. 217
  5. ^ a b c d Hussein Fardust, The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty: Memoirs of Former General Hussein, p. 62
  6. ^ Homa Katouzian, Musaddiq and the Struggle for Power in Iran, I.B. Tauris, 1990, p. 89
  7. ^ Mark J. Gasiorowski, 'The 1953 Coup D'etat in Iran', International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 19, No. 3. (Aug., 1987), p. 270
  8. ^ Maryam Sinaiee (24 November 2010), "Iranian ministry denies authorising neo-Nazi website", The National, retrieved 5 October 2017 
  9. ^ Lorena Galliot (18 November 2010), "Who's behind the 'Association of Iranian Nazis'", France 24, retrieved 5 October 2017 
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